The Bourgeois Pig Closes to Transform into a Vegan Tapas Bar

The Bourgeois Pig, located in New York City, closed this week after 12 years to transform into a vegan tapas bar called Ladybird, to open later this summer.

Ravi DeRossi, a restaurateur, has planned to make all of his 15 restaurants vegan; it’s been a few years that DeRossi has been talking about turning The Bourgeois Pig into an all-vegan wine and tapas bar.

DeRossi will be selling all of the bar’s furniture, replacing it for the white and bright emerald colours. According to DeRossi, “It will be very light and airy”.

The atmosphere of Ladybird will also be very casual and the menu will be composed of plant-based tapas, put together by the chef of DeRossi’s restaurant Mother of Pearl, Daphne Cheng. In addition, chef Grant Achatz is in charge of the wine menu, featuring wines that are natural and biodynamic. To respect the history of the original restaurant, Ladybird will also serve dairy-free fondue.

DeRossi felt a little bit sad closing The Bourgeois Pig, as it was the first bar he opened; however, DeRossi believes that the dairy industry does not have a good impact on people and the environment. With all of the cheese that The Bourgeois Pig used, DeRossi stated, “I’m more elated at the fact that it’s huge weight off my shoulders. That is way more important to me than the tiny bit of sadness”.